Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati Monday rebuked the Iran-backed Hezbollah for criticizing Saudi Arabia, saying it did not serve the national interest or represent the country's official stance.
Saudi Arabia and several other Gulf Arab states withdrew ambassadors and expelled Lebanese envoys in October and November over what the kingdom later said was arch-foe Hezbollah's dominance of the Lebanese state.
In a speech, Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah accused Saudi Arabia's king of terrorism on Monday.
"King, the terrorist is the one who has exported ... Daeshi ideology to the world, and it is you," Nasrallah said, using an acronym for Islamic State Sunni terror group.
Mikati responded in a statement, distancing himself from the Hezbollah leader.
"What ... Nasrallah said about the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia this evening does not represent the position of the Lebanese government and most Lebanese. It is not in Lebanon's interest to offend any Arab country, especially the Gulf states.
"For God's sake, have mercy on Lebanon and the Lebanese people and stop the hateful sectarian and political rhetoric."
Lebanese officials including President Michel Aoun, a Hezbollah ally, and Mikati have called for dialogue with Saudi Arabia to resolve the diplomatic crisis, which has piled onto an economic meltdown now in its third year.
Report by Reuters
Iranian news agency Tasnim, affiliated with the Revolutionary Guard, has launched a Hebrew website on the anniversary of the targeted killing of former Qods commander Qasem Soleimani.
The CEO of the hardliner agency said in a statement on Monday that although the number of Hebrew native speakers is not so large, the agency decided to establish its Hebrew version along with its social media accounts on Twitter and Instagram because of the strategic importance of the Palestinian issue for the Islamic Republic as well as Muslims around the globe.
Majid Gholizadeh said there is “systematic censorship” on the news about Israel, noting that the Hebrew site will provide “authentic news of what is happening inside the occupied territories” to show the Israelis “the true nature and behavior of their leaders.”
Gholizadeh said the Hebrew website was unveiled on the second anniversary of Soleimani’s death to honor the commander, who “devoted his life to the efforts for the stability and calm of the nations”.
Soleimani, who was Iran’s top military and intelligence operator outside its borders, was in charge of supporting and organizing militant proxy forces. He was killed by a US drone strike in Baghdad airport in January 2020.
Nour News website, which is affiliated with the secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council (SNSC), Ali Shamkhani, has also set up a Hebrew version last week.
A Canadian court, which had concluded in May that the downing of a Ukrainian airliner by Iran in 2020 was deliberate, has awarded C$107 million ($84 million) to the families of six people.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) shot down the Ukraine International Airlines plane on January 8, 2020, as it was taking off from the capital’s international airport. All 176 people onboard were killed, including 55 Canadian citizens and 30 permanent residents.
The six family members awarded compensation by an Ontario court lost spouses, siblings, children, nieces and nephews aboard Flight 752, their lawyer, Mark Arnold, said in a statement on Monday. They had filed a civil lawsuit against Iran and senior officials they believe were to blame for the incident.
A report by an association composed of mostly Canadian families of Flight PS752 victims in November challenged Iran's official findings that blamed a misaligned radar and an error by the air defense operator for downing the plane. Iran has not allowed any independent investigation to take place.
The lawyer said his team will look to seize Iranian assets in Canada and abroad. He said Iran has oil tankers in other countries and his team will be looking to seize whatever it can to pay what the families are owed.
The decision by Justice Edward Belobaba of Ontario's Superior Court of Justice was dated December 31 and announced by Arnold on Monday and awarded $100 million in punitive damages to be shared by the estates of the six victims. The court also awarded another $1 million to family members for the loss of guidance, care and companionship, and $6 million for pain and suffering.
Since it was a civil and not a criminal lawsuit the plaintiffs did not have to prove beyond “a reasonable doubt” that the downing of the plane was a deliberate terror act.
The case was filed by Shahin Moghaddam, Mehrzad Zarei and Ali Gorji. Fearing reprisals from Iran, some of the other plaintiffs withheld their names, CBC News reported earlier. Earlier reports had said that there are other pending court cases in Canada and in the United States.
A special Canadian forensic team had produced a report in mid-2021 that accused Iran of incompetence and recklessness over the downing of the Ukrainian passenger plane. Iran criticized the report as being "highly politicized".
Canada is not the only country seeking justice in the incident. Ukraine has been the most vocal party affected by the tragedy and has repeatedly blamed Iran for lack of cooperation in the investigation.
The report found that while the shooting down of Ukrainian International Airlines flight 752 had not been premeditated, it did not absolve Iranian officials of responsibility for the incident.
Iran admitted it shot down the airliner shortly after takeoff from Tehran in January 2020 and blamed a "disastrous mistake" by forces on high alert during a confrontation with the United States.
At the time, Iran was on edge about possible attacks after it fired missiles at Iraqi bases housing US forces in retaliation for the killing days before of its most powerful military commander, Qasem Soleimani, in a US missile strike at Baghdad airport. But authorities failed to close the civilian airspace that led to the tragedy.
With reporting by Reuters
At least four people have died in flash flooding in Iran’s southern province of Fars, while rescue operations are underway in several towns and villages.
Iran’s Red Crescent Society said earlier Monday that two people were killed as flood hit many towns and villages in the southern parts of the province.
Officials of the society later added that another man lost his life and eight were rescued in an operation to save three cars that were stuck in the floods in the city of Lamard.
The deputy head of the Red Crescent in the province, Mehdi Khoubyar, said on Monday that their teams had provided relief aid to hundreds of people in the last few days.
Iranian emergency services spokesman Mojtaba Khaledi said that another victim of the floods in the province was a 50-year-old woman who drowned in the city of Darab.
Earlier on Saturday, the head of the crisis management taskforce of Hormozgan province said that an eight-year-old girl was drowned by floodwater in Bandar Abbas.
Iran’s Meteorological Organization has predicted more rains, blizzards, thunderstorms, and hails for almost all the country in the next few days, especially in southern provinces of Kerman and Hormozgan. The precipitation comes after years of drought and are not likely to alleviate the country’s water crisis.
Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh has revealed that the Iran paid a total of $70 million to the Palestinian group to help it develop missiles and defense systems.
During an interview with Al-Jazeera Haniyeh said different countries help in financing the group, but Iran is the biggest donor.
The head of Hamas political bureau added that thanks to the aid from Iran, his group managed to have a comprehensive defense strategy in its confrontation with the Israeli military in the Gaza Strip last year.
He was referring to the two-week outbreak of violence in May 2021 that was called operation “Sword of Jerusalem” by Hamas but dubbed operation “Guardian of the Walls” by Israel.
Haniyeh said that the operation was “a rehearsal for the liberation of the Palestinian territories from the occupation", adding that it "completely paralyzed” Israel as their missiles even reached targets in Tel Aviv, which meant failure of the Iron Dome anti-missile defense system.
Hamas reportedly fired more than 4,000 rockets and missiles at Israel, most of which were intercepted by the Israeli Iron Dome defense system.
He said that Hamas is not fighting a proxy war for Iran, stressing they are in it together against “the common Israeli enemy.”
Haniyeh added that Iran backs the Shiite groups within its framework of support for the “axis of resistance” in the region, noting that Tehran also supports Sunni movements against Israel.
A provincial governor has created an uproar in Iran by telling medical doctors that they are not indispensable, and they can leave the country if they wish.
The highly controversial remark came amid calls by Iran's President and other officials on educated Iranian expats to return to Iran where their services are badly needed.
"Doctors who threaten to leave Iran are free to go and I will see them off," said Mohammad Hadi Imanieh the governor-general of Fars Province and the longest serving dean of the medical school in Shiraz, the capital of Fars Province.
He has also been quoted as having said that he would be willing to pay the travel cost of medical doctors who wish to leave Iran.
Iranian lawmakers and social media users have described Imanieh's comment as "outrageous". Some social media users have also disclosed that Imanieh took advantage of his position and transferred his son, a student of veterinary medicine in Urmia in northwest Iran to Shiraz University and changed his major to Medicine. Other students accused him of forcing medical students to spy on their classmates for him.
Two weeks ago, a conservative lawmaker, Kazem Mousavi, said those who want to listen to music and keep dogs as pet should leave the country. Mousavi was harshly criticized by Iranian musicians and other people including a state television presenter who told him on live TV that he should leave the country rather than trying to impose his ideas on the public.
But these were not the only people who have told other Iranians to leave the country if they do not like what is going on. Earlier, a woman in Islamic outfit who was presented as an expert on family affairs told other Iranians on TV to leave the country if they follow a different lifestyle than what is being mandated by the Islamic Republic’s clerical government.
Like all other Iranian officials who often claim their comments were misreported once they prove to be controversial, both the lawmaker and the governor general claimed their remarks were distorted by the media.
According to Aftab News in Tehran, Imanieh's remarks attracted harsh reactions by the medical community. Former lawmaker Dr. Ali Nobakhtcalled on the Iranian Medical Council to launch an investigation into the matter. He called the remarks by Imanieh "naive and insulting." Several other medical doctors including the chairman of Iranian Consultants' Society Dr. Iraj Khosrownia reminded the governor that "We do not need your permission for leaving the country or remaining where we are." The doctors demanded an apology from the governor-general for his politically incorrect comment.
Other doctors said it was regrettable that the governor, himself a medical doctor, has made such annoying comments instead of trying to encourage doctors not to leave Iran. One doctor, Behrouz Boroumand charged that during the 12 years when Imanieh was the dean of the medical school in Shiraz he hardly had any achievement. He also charged that Imanieh was not qualified enough for the post of governor-general.
Deputy Chief of the Iranian medical council Mohammad Mehdi Qiamat said that Imanieh has hardly ever worked as a medical doctor.
On social media, one Twitter user remindedthat Imanieh has launched his Twitter account only two months ago and has posted 13 tweets, but he has created a lot of controversy with his remarks during this short period.
Another social media user from Shiraz reminded that Imanieh had earlier threatened to expel all private banks from Shiraz. The user jokingly advised the governor to hand over his phone to his wife and stop making remarks for a while after “smoking something”.
